Say You Remember Me

If I was being honest, I felt awkward. And I felt awkward for feeling awkward. Ugh. I thought about attempting to make a conversation with Jeremy’s vampire, but something about her made me uncharacteristically quiet.

“So….” Nicole studied her black cherry fingernail polish awkwardly. “You’re….Devin, right?”

“Damon,” I mumbled.

“Right……” After a minute, she added, “Sorry.”

I shrugged.

A few painfully awkward minutes passed. Nicole sighed. She opened her mouth to make a conversation, but instead turned on the radio. She flipped through the stations and I ground my teeth in annoyance. Why did I ever let her tag along? I was better off by myself.

Nicole settled back after picking some random preppy girl song and turned it down so it was just a background noise. “My friend and I used to sing this all the time….” She said randomly.

I gave her sideways glance that said how much I cared.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, staring at her nail polish again. “I don’t even know where she is….” Why is she still talking? Does she even know I’m not listening, let alone care? I thought, but she continued. “She stopped being my friend when she found out Jeremy was cheating on her….with me….”

Wow, tough life, but really, you didn’t see that coming?

“A part of me hopes she’s a vampire now,” Nicole rambled on. “Then she’d be safe from Jeremy….”

I was going to tell her that I didn’t care, when she said, “He promised to kill her before he went to jail.”

My eyes became wide and I stared at her in disbelief. “How do you know that if she stopped being your friend?”

“Jeremy changed me two days before…..I was in his house and I could hear him,” Nicole answered. “I wanted to help her, my friend, but I wasn’t sure if I could control myself…”

My attention was officially off the road and focused on Nicole. “Who was your friend?”

She noticed the change of my expression and frowned. “Why do you all of a sudden care?”

I gripped the steering wheel tightly. “You asked why I was hunting Jeremy. If you’re talking about who I think you are, then she’s the reason.”

Nicole raised a brow. “Then you tell me. Who’s my friend?”

My jaw clenched and I answered before thinking. “Olivia.” It was weird, saying her name. I hadn’t even heard her name in so long, let alone spoken it.

Nicole’s face paled—more—and she gasped. “That—Liv—how—how do you know that name—?”

I turned back to the road, shielding that bit of torment that still betrayed me in my eyes, so I could say, “She was my girlfriend.”

“Oh, and you wanna get revenge on her now because she dumped you for being a vampire?” Nicole barked. “You can bet she’s not with Jeremy!”

I pulled the car to the side and jammed on the brakes. I turned to face Nicole angrily and in her defiant green eyes, there was fear. “I know she’s not with him! He killed her! And damnit, don’t think for a second I would have hurt her!” Without another word, I pulled back onto the road, going nearly 100 MPH.

Nicole had been quiet for almost half an hour. Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “She’s dead?”

I sighed, trying to act nonchalant. “Yeah. He killed her.”

“……..When?” Nicole sounded tearful.

“Six months ago,” I said angrily.

Things were quiet for another hour. Nicole kept sniffing quietly and I could smell her salty tears. I knew I should feel bad for telling her like that, but I honestly didn’t. I was even edgier now.

“Damon….?” Nicole said quietly.

“What?” I snapped.

Nicole sighed quietly. “Did she…..suffer?”

“Yes,” I answered shortly, remembering everything about that day…….

“You’ve never tasted her blood?” Jeremy gasped mockingly. “Oh, I guarantee it! ‘Sides, she’s no fun to me in this state. I’m bored.”
Time seemed to slow in that instant. Jeremy’s hold on Olivia switched. The pipe drew sharply up and I could hear the fateful wiiissshhh of it as it sailed down……penetrating Liv’s lungs.
“Liv!” I shouted, immediately rushing toward her to catch her fall.
“Olivia!” I yelled, catching her and holding her tightly to me. Her hair was all over her bloody face and I pushed it away frantically. “Olivia!”
She was trying to open her eyes. She opened her mouth but all that came out were little gasps of pain that I couldn’t help but cringe at.
Her face was becoming blurred. Why? Why couldn’t I just see her face? What was wrong with my eyes? “Olivia, please,” I begged, my voice dropping. “Please, Olivia, hang in there. Stay with me….”
I couldn’t just stand there and watch her die. I looked for anything and finally found some splintered wood. Maybe it was too late to change her, but I had to try.
She shook her head, though. I wouldn’t pretend to be shocked by it. As much as she loved me, she hated vampires. It was ridiculous to think she would become one. Even if it meant she could stay with me forever….
I held her tighter. “Damnit, Liv!” My voice faltered. “Don’t do this, don’t leave me…..” I knew that was stupid. She had absolutely no control over dying. Why was it so hard to understand that?
I held her closer, knowing these were the defining last minutes she would have. And I wanted her to be a little happy as she went. And it wasn’t like I didn’t mean what I said when I whispered, “I love you.”
She choked up more blood and her body spasmed against mine. I closed my eyes tightly, willing the pain to just be done….for both of us.
Then she sighed and when I pulled her away she was smiling.
And I wanted nothing more than to bring her back.

“She suffered…..a lot…..”